This perennial woody shrub, native to South Africa, with its deeply divided, grey-green leaves and large, showy, bright scarlet flowers and fascinating inflated seedpods, is used as a bitter tonic and a general panacea by the local Khoi and Nama people.

Also known as Cancerbush, this bitter herb, as a tea made of the dried leaves and twigs, has been used for treating stomach problems and internal cancers. The virtues of the plant also extend More